Pretoria - South African companies, which were recently on an investment mission to Thailand and Taiwan, have returned home with deals that are worth millions, said the Department of Trade and Industry (dti).
Sunshine Dunes, as well as Pitto Limited, formed part of the 18 companies that embarked on an Outward Selling and Investment Misison (OSIM) to Thailand and Taiwan that kicked off at the end of July.
The investment mission, which was supported by the dti, profiled South Africa as an investment destination.
“The OSIM that was organised by the dti has produced tangible results for two companies and is promising leads for several others,” said the dti.
Chief Executive Officer of Sunshine Dunes, Shineon Hadebe, said his 100% sparkling juice attracted a lot of interest from possible buyers and that he managed to sign a contract to the value of R7.8 million for a year.
“We will be exporting a container of about 20 000, 450ml bottles of juice every month to a high-end supermarket based in Taipei with a possibility of the contract being renewed if the product is well received by their clients. The contract will assist us to create more jobs at home,” he said on Monday.
A Commercial Manager at Pitto Limited Lorna Basson said they also managed to create a lot of interest for their grape-farming business based in the Northern Cape.
Basson said two Taiwanese businesspeople have agreed to buy two containers of grapes worth R400 000 each per month for eight months.
“The OSIM was more positive than we had anticipated, and we are grateful that we were able to show and convince investors of what we are capable of as a country,” she said.
The objective of the OSIM was to create market access for South African value-added products and services to enter Asian markets.
The business delegation concluded their visited to Thailand and Taiwan on Friday. – SAnews.gov.za
